Slip-off ingot and feeder therefor



Aug. 19, 1941. JUNG 2,252,808

SLIP-OFF INGOT AND FEEDER THEREFOR Filed Aug. 9, 1959 2 Sneet'sSheet lALBT H. gonna Aug. 19, 1941. JUNG 2,252,808

SLIP-OFF INGOT AND FEEDER THEREFOR Filed Aug. 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 26/4 I x g glig' 40. gwucwfo o g\\ HLBERT H" una Patented Aug. 19, 1941SLIP-OFF INGOT AND FEEDER THEREFOR.

Albert H. Jung, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to United American MetalsCorporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York ApplicationAugust 9, 1939, Serial No. 289,298

12 Claims.

This invention relates to ingots, molds, and the design of the ingotends which are adapted to be associated with the feeders, which ingotends facilitate the disassociation' of the ingot ends from an ingotfeeder after the body portion of the ingot has been fed and melted.

Prior to the instant invention, elongated type metal ingots havingpierced ends have been associated with automatic feeders of the Margachtype by the threading of the pierced end to the feederhook suspendedfrom a movable chain incorporated in the feeder. Such ingots permit ofautomatic feeding of the body portion of the ingot up until the ingotend and no provision is made for the automatic removal of the ingot endwhich is associated with the feeder hook. Such prior ingots are known tothe trade as "Margach ingots. In order to provide for the automaticslipping off of the ingot end, after the body portion of the ingot hasbeen melted,

- the pierced ends of the ingots of the Margach type have been sawed byhand in order to provide a "slotted ear and thereby permit of theautomatic disassociation of the inset end from a feeder hook upon themetling away of the body portion of the ingot up to the pierced portionof the ingot end.

Not only have slotted cared ingots been made by hand, but in laterdevelopments, molds have been made to cast "Margach ingots with a slotformed therein. Such molds comprise relatively heavy or thick corescorresponding to the piercings of the ingot end and relatively thin andfragile webs integral with the core and end wall of the mold, which webscorrespond to the slot of the automatic slip-off slotted eared ingot.While ingots made in such molds incorporate the automatic slip-oilfeature, yet the molds have been relatively unsatisfactory because oftheir susceptibility to breakage at the junction of the web with thecore and of the web with the mold walls and also breakage of the web atintermediate portions. The disadvantage of ingots made in such moldslies in the fact thatthey are relatively difllcult to thread and requirecareful attention by the operator.

It is an object of the instant invention to provide novel ingot moldscapable of casting automatic slip-oil ingots, which molds are relativelysubstantial in configuration and are relatively rugged by reason of suchconfiguration.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide novel slip-oilingots of relatively rugged end characteristics.

It is a further object of the instant invention to provide novelassociating means between the feeder and the ingot to be fed in order tofacilitate the association of the ingot with the feeder.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the. following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an ingot in accordance with the inventionand illustrating one form of feeder associating means;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation of an ingot end just at thetime of its disassociation from the feeder;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating an end of the ingotin Fig. 1 in cooperating relation with a second form of feeder associat-I ing means;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a mold for casting ingotssimilar to that illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an ingot end similar to thatillustrated in Figs. 1 and 3 but slightly modified;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating a third form offeeder-ingot associating means;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 llustrating a third form of ingot anda fourth form of feederingot associating means;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the ingot in Fig. 7subsequent to the time of its disassociation from the feeder;

Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of the ingot and associating meansillustrated in Fig. 7; and,

Fig. 10 is a view similar toFig. 4 but illustrating a fragment of amoldfor casting ingots similar to that illustrated in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, an ingot2|] having a body portion 2| and symmetrical end portions 22 and 23,each of which are bifurcated and include arms 24 and 25, is illustratedas in cooperating relationship with the feeder-ingot associating means26 which is secured to feeder chain 21. The feeder-ingot associatingmeans 26 may comprise a pair of downwardly depending rod-like members 28and 29, the outer portions of which engage the hooklike extensions 30and 3| from'the arms 24 and 25, respectively.

It is of significance that the opposite ends 22 and 23 of the ingot aresymmetrical in order to facilitate the association of the ingot with thefeeder with the least amount of attention on the part of the attendantor operator for either end may be associated with the lower portion ofthe feeder chain. ingots are as a general rule relatively heavy and aminimum of handling thereof is necessary in accordance with the instantinvention. It is also of signiflcance'that each ingot end is soconstructed that the space between adjacent portions at the outermostedges of the arms 24 and 25 are as far apart or further apart than anyother adjacent portions of the arms whereby threading or association ofthe ingot with the feeder requires a minimum of attention and skill. Asillustrated in Fig. 1, once the ingot end is associated with the feederchain, the ingot will automatically take a symmetrical position toinsure the disassociation illustrated in Fig. 2 upon the melting away ofthebody 2| of the ingot 20. After the body portion of the ingot 2| hasbeen melted, there is no support between the two arms 24 and and theangle of inclination oil the depending rod-like members 28 and 28 issuch as to facilitate the slipping off of the said arms 24 and 25 intothe molten bath 32.

Not only may the feeder-ingot associating means take the formillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, but it may simply comprise a sphere 83 orsimilar geometrical form as illustrated in Fig. 3, and still effectslip-oil action upon the melting away of the ingot end 22 from the bodyportion 2|, and the fabrication of the associating means 33 may beeifected by conventional machinery and at relatively low cost. It iswell known that spheres like spheres 33 may be fabricated by automaticmachinery whereas hooks must be cast or forged. The associating means 26illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 may also be fabricated at relatively lowcost by reason of the fact that the parts are made of conventionalrolled stock, the cost of which, as is well known, is a minimum.

When desired, the hooked end portions and 3| of the arms 24' and 25' maybe made relatively rugged as illustrated in Fig. 5 in order to reducepremature breakage, due to handling, to a minimum, when the material ofwhich the ingets 20' are cast is very fragile. This ingot 20 is adaptedto be cast with one of its long sides in the bottom of the mold.

The ingots 20 and 28' may be cast 'in a mold 34, see Fig. 4, comprisinga removable element which extends within the underside of the hooksformed by the hooked end portions 30 and 3i as well as through therelatively rugged fin 36 which serves to bifurcate the ingot ends 22 and23 and form the arms 24 and 25. The removable element 35 may be formedwith an aligning plug 31 formed in its lowermost portion cooperatingwith a socket 38 arranged in the mold 34. With the removable element 35in position an ingot 20 may be cast in the mold 34 to form an ingot suchas illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. Upon removal of the ingot the element35 will be removed simultaneously. disassociated from the ingot andagain located within the mold 34 with the plug 31 setting within thesocket 38 and a second ingot cast within the said mold.

Referring to Fig. 6, the ingot 20 is identical with that illustrated inFig. 1, but the feederingot associating means is somewhat different andincludes simply a T-shaped stamping 39 It will be appreciated that theseThe removable element 35 may be thenwhich functions substantially thesame as the associating means 28 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will beappreciated that the T-Shaped stamping 39 is relatively simple tomanufacture and, what is very important, the ingot end 22 may be veryreadily associated therewith and if there is any inaccuracy in theassociation, the horizontal extending portions 40 and 4i have their'upper sides 42 and 43 so inclined as to make for the automaticalignment of the ingot 28 and thereby insure proper feeding of the ingotand automatic slipping off of the arms 24 and 25 of the ingot end 22.

Referring to Figs. 7, 8 and 9, an ingot 58 having a body portion 5! anda slip-off ingot end 52 is illustrated in cooperating relation with thebent rod feeder-ingot associating means 53, which in turn is suspendedfrom the bottom of the feeder chain 54. The associating means issymmetrical to its vertical axis and comprises aloop 55 at its upperportion and a pair of hook-like arms 56 and 51, see Fig. 9 inparticular. It is of significance, that in this form of the ingot, therebe suflicient space between adjacent portions of the arms 58 and 59 ofthe ingot end 52 to permit them to take the position illustrated in Fig.8 subsequent to the melting of the body 5i of the ot and .thedisassociation of the arms 58 and 59 from the hook-like arms 56 and 51of the associating means 53. The upper outside portions of the arms 58and 59 of the end 52 of the ingot 50 are formed with cooperating notches60 and 6| which engage the upper surface of the hook-like arms 56 and 51of the associating means 53 during the normal feeding to the body of theingot 50. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, notches 60 and6| are angular and are greater than ninety degrees in opening, but it isto be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to formthese notches in the shape of hooks or at angles less than ninetydegrees. It is preferred, however, to form the notches 60 and 8! asillustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 in order to facilitate the slip-ofi action.This slip-off action takes place by virtue of the great eccentricity ofdisposition of center of gravity of the disconnected arms 58 and 59 ofthe ingot end 52. One advantage of this form of ingot is that thedisconnected arms 58 and 59, subsequent to the melting of the bodyportion 5|, fall inwardly of the associating means 53, thereby incurringa.

thick slightly tapered strong fin 63 extending from the end wall 64 ofthe mold 62. .If desired, the bottom portion of the mold cavity adjacentthe end wall 64 may be elevated, as'illustrated in Fig. 10, to reducethe dimension of the ingot end, but this is not necessary and the ingotend may involve the same depth as the body portion of the ingot, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. It is of significance thatthis type of ingot may be cast in a one piece mold and that theprovision of draft presents no problem by virtue of the configuration ofthe slip-01f end of the ingot.

It is to be understood that all of the forms of ingots described mayhave symmetrical opposite ends as depicted in Fig. 1, and that thefeederingot associating means illustrated in Figs. 1, 3

and 6 are interchangeable and that while the feeder-ingot associatingmeans for the ingot 50 has been made of rod stock, that this rod stockmay also be used in connection with the form of a one piece feeder-ingotassociating means for use with the ingots 20 and 20',

In accordance with the invention, the ingots 20 and 20' and 50 may betype metal ingots for use in association with the automatic feeders ofthe Margach type, and other similar feeders, that each will provide forautomatic slipping off of their ends subsequent to the melting of thebody portions thereof and they each lend themselves to ready associationwith feeder chains and automatic alignment therewith. Further, the ingot50 is particularly desirable for use in connection with machinesutilizing very small melting pots and where the metal is precious and itis desired to have a minimum of splashing and also in such cases wheresplashing is undesirable for other reasons.

The molds 34 and 80 have been so designed as to-comprise relativelysubstantial and rugged elements and are of such configuration as toeliminate relatively thin and fragile webs found in prior molds forcasting the slotted ear type of slip-off ingot.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in this device without departing from the spirit of theinvention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown inthe drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated inthe appended claims.

What is claimed is: i

1. A slip-off ingot comprising an elongated body portion and abifurcated end portion including a pair of symmetrical arms hooked attheir outermost ends, the distance between adjacent sides of said armsbeing at least as great at the outermost portions thereof as between theadjacent sides at any intermediate position located between theoutermost portion and the junction of the arms with the body portion,whereby the said ingot end will be of the automatic slip-off type and atthe same time will be relatively massive in configuration andcorrespondingly strong.

2. A slip-off ingot having an elongated body portion and an end portioncomprising a pair of arms extending therefrom, the said arms beingformed to cooperatively engage a feeder associatin; means, the distancebetween adjacent sides of the said arms at their outermost portionsbeing at least as great as between intermediate portions of the adjacentsides of said arms between the outermost portions thereof and theinnermost portions thereof.

3. A slip-off ingot comprising an elongated body portion and a pair ofsymmetrical end portions, each of said end portions comprising a pair ofsymmetrical arms, each of said arms being formed with a full hook at itsoutermost portion.

4. A slip-off ingot comprising an elongated body portion and an endportion, said end portion including a pair of arms, each of said armsbeing formed with a hooked outermost portion, said hooked outermostportions extending in spaced parallel planes.

5. A slip-01f ingot comprising an elongated body portion and an endportion, said end portion comprising a pair of arms extending in adirection away from each other along adjacent sides unto the outermostportions thereof, said arms being formed with feeder engagingindentations.

6. A slip-off ingot comprising an elongated body portion and an endportion, said end portion comprising a pair of arms, said arms havingfeeder engaging formations, said formations being located on said armsin positions spaced from adjacent sides of said arms.

'1. A slip-off ingot comprising an elongated body portion and an endportion, said end por-- tion comprising a pair of arms having top andbottom sides, adjacent sides, and outer sides, said arms formed on theirouter sides with depressions to effect feeder engaging portions.

8. The combination of a feeder and a slip-off ingot comprising an ingothaving a bifurcated ingot end to form a pair of arms, the said armsbeing formed with feeder engaging indentations, an ingot engagingelement associated with said feeder for supporting said ingot end whileit is attached to the remainder of the ingot, said ingot engagingelement comprising a portion secured to the feeder and independent ofthe ingot end, said ingot engaging element also comprising a pair ofextending arms for engaging the arms of said ingot end.

9. The structure in claim 8, said ingot arms each having sloping upperends to facilitate disassociation of the ingot end from the ingotengaging element of the feeder upon the melting away of the body portionof the ingot.

10. The structure recited in claim 8, the feeder engaging elementcomprising an inverted T- shaped plate.

11. The structure recited in claim 8, the ingot engaging elementcomprising a body member and a pair of depending rod-like armextensions.

12. The structure recited in claim 8, the ingot engaging elementcomprising a piece of bent rod stock including a complete loop at itsupper end and a pair of hooked arms extending therefrom.

ALBERT H. JUNG.

